Means for winding thread or the like



July 29, 1941.

GRO-GAN 2,251,212

MEANS FOR WINDING THREAD OR THE LIKE Filed March 11, 1938 3nnentor a I TOM ERUEAN Lltto.rneg

troughs; Figure 2 is an enlarged Patented July 29, 1941 Tom Grogan, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to In dustrial Rayon Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio,

a corporation of Delaware Application March 11, 1938, Serial No. 195,350

1 Claim.

This inventionrelates to apparatus for the manufacture of thread or the like characterized by a large number of filaments.

In the processing on thread-advancing thread store devices of thread or the like made up .of a large number of filaments, difficultles are encountered due to the fact that the thread or the like tends to spread out in the form of a fiat, ribbon-like mass. This tendency, unless restricted, results in overriding of the filaments of adjacent turns, causing breakage, snarling, etc., of the individual filaments. Such knots, snarls and broken filaments pile up on the guide means provided to direct the thread or the like to the next device, thereby impeding normal thread travel and, if not removed, subjecting the thread break.

The present invention contemplates the intro- I grammatically as of cantilever form; i. e., supu or the like to so high a tension as to cause it to tent as to give rise to the aforementioned difliculties. The interposition of such means in conjunction with an appropriate form of threadadvancing thread store device, preferably ata point between the thread-receiving and the thread-discharge ends thereof, accomplishes a two-fold purpose; namely, preventing undue spreading of the thread or the like and tending to wrap within the thread or the like the weakened and/or broken filaments which frequently occur in the production of thread (g) the like. The latter feature not only preserves t e strength of the individual filaments, but prevents their catching on guides employed to direct the thread or the like to the succeeding thread-advancing thread store device.

, The invention finds application in the handling of any thread or the like made up of a large number of filaments, but for present purposes has been illustrated and will be hereinafter described as applied to the processing of viscose filament bundles intended to be cut into fibers of staple length. 7 In theaccompanying drawing, which represents but one of a variety of possible embodiments of the invention, Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a portion of a machine embodying a series of thread-advancing thread store devices, together with associated distributors, guides and of a single-threadadvancing thread store device; Eigurefi is a plan of the apparatus of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a side elevation of the same threadadvancing' thread store device, together with its end elevation ported and driven from the thread-receiving end thereof and having the thread-discharge end thereof unobstructed by anything impeding continuous discharge of the filament bundle. Thus the discharge ends of all reels are presented to the operator for inspection, manipulation, maintenance, etc. Although'the reels may be disposed inany of several equally suitable arrange- .ments serving to facilitate progression of the filament bundle from one reel to the next, reels 1, 8, 9 and Ill are-arranged obliquely with their respective axes parallel to each other and with the thread-discharge end of each reel'in apposition to the thread-receiving end of the next succeeding reel.

The filament bundle 6 is supplied to reel 1 from any desired source of supply such as suitable thread-forming means or from one or more previous reels. It advances along reel 1 in a series ofclosely spaced, generally helical turns until it reaches the discharge end of the reel, from which it 'is directed by guide M to reel 8. Upon the periphery of the latter it is further advanced toward'the discharge-end, from which point it is directed by a similar guide H to reel 9, and so on.

The series of reels may be made upvof any a'pproprlate number of reels sufiicient to perform the desired processing treatment Processing treatment may be accomplished on the reels by the application to the filament bundle of one or more processing reagents. Such reagents may be supplied from any suitable source such as a distributor 12 which may be connected The reagent showered upon the reel is caught in trough ll connected by the drain pipe 14 either to the sewer for the removal as waste or to a make-up reservoir for recirculation if the reagent is of such a nature that it may advantageously be reused. The troughs, distributors and associated apparatus may be framework.

supported upon any suitable As has been prev-louslymentioned'any form of thread-advancing thread store device may be used inconnection with the apparatus of the present invention. A typical reel capable of being employed for the purpose is shown in detail in Figure 5 of the accompanying drawing and will be exof the accompanying drawing difiers from the reel therein disclosed principally inthat it is of cantilever form.

The reel comp /two rigid cage members I! and I8 made up of a plurality of longitudinally extendingbar members I! and alternately disposed with respect to each other. Reel member I], referred to as the concentric member, consists of a supporting structure comprising disc 2| secured to a drive shaft 22 by the set screw 23, said disc 2i supporting bars II. The second reel member ll, referred to as the eccentric member, is provided with asupporting disc 25 mounted so as to rotate freely upon the frame member 26 in which is journalled shaft 22. The .bearings therefor are so arranged that the axes of the cage members H and I. are in ofiset and inclined relation with respect to each other.

By reason of the above-described arrangement, when the drive shaft 22 is rotated the cage member ll mounted concentrically upon and fixed thereto likewise rotates and, because of the interdigitating relation of bars I t and II, drives member It by barto-bar contact. In addition, the relative radial displacement of the bars causes the filament bundle to be supported first by one set of bars and then by the other, while the inclined relation causes it to advance longitudinally of the reel. Together, both actions result the-thread-discharge end thereof, being meanwhile subjected to processing treatment as above explained,

In' the processing of filament bundles on such reels, especially where such processing is accomadjacent turns, causing said filaments to override and become entangled. This action gives rise to slubs taking the form of knots. snarls, or

bunches which adhere to the thread as it is ad- -vanced,'either being torn loose, thereby fouling Other. turns of thread, p.r being carried along and deposited upon'the guides.

Pursuant .to the invention, gathering means for condensmg the filament bundles into more compact form are disposed at any suitable point between the thread-receiving and thread-discharge ends of the reels. Such gathering means may take any suitable form. In the embodiment of the invention herein illustrated said gathering means are shown in their simplest mm;

1. e., that of an auxiliary guide 21. As shown, saidauxiliarygulde fli'ssimllarinshapeto guides II, but mounted some distance in from vthe point of discharge of the filament bundle.

In the threading-'up-operation, as filament bundle I" reaches a point near the discharge end of the first reel I, the end of said filament bundle I is threaded over auxiliary guide 21 adjustably mounted upon an arm 28 secured to the trough II which surrounds each reel, passed around the end of the reel 1 for one or more additional turns, then led to the guide H adjustably fastened to the trough It. From guide II it passes to the thread-receiving end of thewhich is secured to .the arm 28 by a wing nut 30 in the slot 3| (Figure 3). This arrangement permits not only changing the position of auxiliary guide 21 if it is desired to increase the number of turns on any of the reels between said guide and the discharge end of said reel but also adjusting the location of the guide for helices of difierent pitch. It is obvious that various other arrangements of the auxiliary thread guide 21 and other elements of the apparatus described may be employed to accompllsh the same general purpose.

The use' of some sort of auxiliary guide interposed between the thread-receiving and thread-.

discharge end of each reelprevents the aforementioned flattening action of the filament bundle from continuing to the point where overriding, snarling and tangling of filaments resuits. The guide serves, among other things, to condense the filaments into a generally round bundle. The latter action on the part of the guide folds in any broken or weakened filaments,

which further tends to strengthen the filament bundle as a whole and prevent the formation of slubs.

As hereinabove stated, although the-illustrated" embodiment of theinvention is primarily directed to the application of the invention to" the processing of viscose filament bundles adapted to be cut into fibers of staple length, the invention should be understood as -equally adaptable to any known method of processing of any, .thread or thread-like articles.

Other forms of apparatus may be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is intended that the patent shall cover, by suitable expression in the appended claim, whatever features of patentable novelty reside in the invention.

What is claimed is:

Apparatus for handling a thread bundle consisting of a large number of individual filaments which, by reasoniof the manner of its handling, assumes a fiatfsubstantially ribbon-like form comprising, in combination, a thread-advancing thread store device serving to advance the thread bundle in a helix of closely spaced turns each of which, due to flattening of the thread bundle, tends to spread into contiguity with the others as the thread bundle nears the zone in which it is to be discharged from said thread store device; a housing surrounding said thread store 2',251,212 3 device, said housing consisting of back, bottom engaging the penultimate turn of the helix from and two side walls; and, mounted on one of the periphery of saidthread store device and the walls making up said housing, means supcondensing the filaments thereof into a compact, ported in. spaced relation to the periphery of generally round rope-like bundle.

said thread store device at a point adjacent the 5 M GROGAN. zone of discharge of the thread bundle for dis- 

